Jim Butcher Q&A and Contest Live Here!

I would like to welcome all of those who are new to Bitten by Books and thank you for joining us today with the fabulous Jim Butcher! Jim has generously given up a portion of his extremely busy day to be with us here again to answer your questions. The event takes place right here below the post in the COMMENTS section.

To see Jim’s answers to your questions comments, you will need to refresh this page often and watch for his answers in them comment section. They will be marked like this: ANSWERS FROM – JIM BUTCHER
Just leave your comment/question and Jim will try to answer as many as he can as time allows. Please try and keep book spoilers to a minimum as not everybody has read all of Jim’s work. Thank you!!

SIDE NOTE: Jim Butcher Fans can join other fans in a lively discussion throughout the day in our chatroom located in the toolbar at the bottom of this page or by going to this page: http://bit.ly/aWgMqd Jim will NOT be in this chatroom, it is a fan discussion room only.

“On a night like any other, Chicago’s only professional wizard private detective, Harry Dresden, answers the phone to hear not a client—but his old flame, and now vampire, Susan Rodriguez. And she has news for him.

Harry he has a daughter he has never known…and the girl has been kidnapped.

Long ago, when Susan was Harry’s lover, she was attacked by the vampiric Red Court, transforming her into half-vampire. Susan thought she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it, and years ago disappeared to South America, leaving Harry for the sake of his own humanity.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court of vampires, blames Harry for the death of her husband—and she wants vengeance. Discovering that Harry is the true father of Susan’s child, Arianna will stop at nothing to avenge Harry through killing his long-lost daughter. With the White Council of Wizards and the Red Court in a state of détente, Harry finds himself working alone, supported only by resources inadequate to challenge the forces of the entire vampire Court. In the past, there has always been a line Harry was never willing to cross, and though dark powers tempted him time and again, he never gave in. But then, only his own life had been at stake before. How far will he go, and what bargains will he make, to bring home the child he never knew he had?”

About Jim Butcher
A martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife, his son, and a ferocious guard dog. You can visit his website at: http://www.Jim-Butcher.com

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Learn more about Jim Butcher here:Read reviews of the author’s work here.

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540 comments

Hi Jim, thank you for doing this.
My question is about the Archive. We know that she knows everything that has ever been written, or probably printed on paper…but does that extend to digital information stored on computers? If it’s all 1′s and 0′s can she decode it, as it were?

Thanks for doing an online chat for those of us unable to make it to your signings. It was once mentioned almost in passing that their is a jade court of vampires. Will they ever make an appearance? and how are they different than the other courts?

This is my question. On your website forums I have several times read a claim that you have made a comment somewhere that not only is the ability Harry has over Outsiders not unique to him, but that Elaine also has the same ability.

However no one seems to be able to supply an actual reference to you saying this? Is this actually true or just something repeated often enough that now everyone believes it? Basically, how many “Outsiderbanes” are there in the world and is Elaine one of them?

I have to say that the Dresden Files is one of the best series I have come across in a long time.

My question: You have said that you left Harry’s romantic life organic when you originally plotted the series so it would develop naturally. However, for Changes (which I am still reading) and for Harry to have a child, he had to have the encounter with Susan. Was that an exception or are the broad strokes filled in and the details left to develop?

Thanks for doing this since I cannot make it to any of your appearances.

Hey Jim! Hope the wrist is healed up some from the signing tour!
My question: In the past, Harry has always used a revolver for his handgun. When asked, he answers (or internal monologues) that the simpler mechanisms of the revolver have less chance of getting fouled by the Murphy’s-Law-Field wizards make. However, in the last book, he picked up one or two modern semi-automatic pistols without any thought towards this previous issue. Does this mean Harry has a better grasp of his magic, allowing him to at least not interfere with gun mechanisms? Or was his refusal more of a personality quirk, when he would have been fine using a more modern pistol design?

Jim, Thanks for a wonderful read, think CHANGES is the best book I’ve read in a long time. ***SPOILER Question*** – Did you think twice about sacrificing Susan at the end, or was that your plan all along? Regardless, a very powerful scene and I commend you for writing it. It takes a lot to bring tears to my eyes.

Your website says you already know how your Dresden series will end. I was wondering, when you started on this great adventure, did you know how many books you would write and how many subplots you would create? How far from your original story have you ventured?

Hi Jim,
Absolutely love the books. My 16yo son got me hooked. I still have about 10 pages to go with Changes but will finish it tonight. No questions, just wanted to tell you I am inlove with Harry and all the other characters.

Fumbles around in the dark… Morning, Jim… well it is way morning here (3.00am). Thanks for taking the time to chat with us… Will you be heading down to Australia for Worldcon? Would like to know so that (kidding here) becasue I so want to throttle you for leaving us with the cliff hanger…. WAAAAAAAA. (had to get that off my chest; Loved Changes and I want the next book, NOW).

People monitoring this; yep, I’d love to win (another copy) in ther raffle. so yes, I did rsvp.

I’m just happy I am on this chat, because I finished Changes last night and I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn about Ghost Story for next year. Thank you, Jim, for Harry Dresden. He is one of my personal favorite fictional characters/heroes of all time.

Hi Jim. I don’t have a question about your books. I just love both your series and wanted to tell you how inspiring your writing is to me. Thank you. I am wondering if you would consider coming out to Salt Lake city on one of your tours some day. You have a growing fan base out here and we would be honored to have you.

Loved Changes, and First Lord’s Fury you evil genius. Can’t wait for more Dresden, as well as any other books you’ll write. My question is: You’ve said before that you didn’t plan out Harry’s love life. Did you however plan out his relationship with Susan ahead of time?

Thank you for Harry Dresden. He’s a joy to read about. Also with the books being published, they make a great belated birthday present for me.

I know writers introduce a gun in the first chapter so it will be used by the last chapter. So my question is how long will readers have to wait for Harry have the miserable task of fight his friend Fix, the Summer Knight?

Absolutely loved Changes, read it in less then a day. My question is this: When are we going to see more screen time for the outsiders? Other then a walk-on by He Who Walks Behind, we’ve only heard about them and the horrors they inflict, when will we get to witness the carnage first hand?

‘Nother question, I think it’s been mentioned that Harry goes to a drive-in theater to see movies, but how has he picked up stuff like the Evil Overlord List (an Internet thing) if he can’t use computers? Did one of his geeky friends print it off for him or something?

Hi Jim!
Thanks for a most excellent series! Loved meeting you and hearing you and your lovely wife speak a while back at Mile Hi Con.

I’m about 2/3rds the way through “Changes” and WOW! Great addition and man i the title fitting for it without being too spoilerish. *winks*

My question is, Harry seems to be amassing an every growing pile of resources (both physical and non-material, things and relationships and powers…the usual LOL). He has to call on some of those (without naming any and being a spoiler) in the current book. Is this some big stockpile/arms build up leading to an end game you have fully formed in your mind, or are you playing with things as you go. I guess the shorter version of this question is how far ahead do you have things planned for Harry and is there a set end point to the series?

Thanks for taking the time to do this since none of your signings were close enough to Denver for me to get to!

Hugs to you and Shannon!
Maggie Mae
ps I did RSVP but I don’t need to be entered for the book since I already have it

Hi Jim! I’m looking forward to your responses to some of the previously posted questions. I’m also curious to hear an author’s perspective on the whole eBook/Amazon/Publisher mess going on right now. As I have a vested interest in the situation, I’ve been trying to keep up with what’s going on, but I’m never sure if what I’m reading is the truth. As an author, what are your thoughts on the current conflicts between publishers and distributors over eBooks and how does it all affect you?

Jim, thanx for all the outstanding books and comics. Its been a pleasure to be along for the ride. I’ve enjoyed watching the characters and your writing evolve each year, and I keep shoving your work down friend’s throats. I’m curious if you have a definitive ending in mind for Harry? Have you written the final Dresden story in you head, or is that still something that hasn’t materialized yet?

With the way Changes ended, the boards on your website have been going crazy with theories. I’m pretty sure some of the older members must have come up with some theories that lay pretty close to what actually happened. In such cases, when you do get around to spending some time on the boards, what is your reaction? Do you laugh and poke fun at theories that may be wayyyy out there? *grin*

Hey Jim
Firstly thanks for filling my bookshelves and a large portion of my life with your books. As for the question… Will you be coming to the UK anytime for signings??
And secondly will the Dresden File’s come faster now the Codex Alera is finished, or do you have some other loveliness in the pipe line for us??
Thanks

It was a college assignment, originally, in my Writing a Genre Fiction Novel class.

“James Marsters does an awesome job on the audio books. Do you ever offer input to James about certain characters regarding how you think they should sound or is that all James?”

It’s all James.

“Your website says you already know how your Dresden series will end. I was wondering, when you started on this great adventure, did you know how many books you would write and how many subplots you would create? How far from your original story have you ventured?”

I originally planned for 20 books, but it took me 12 books to fit in the events of what had originally been planned for 10. So, it might take us 22 to 24 books to get to the big old honking apocalyptic trilogy which I’m planning to use as a kind of capstone for the series.

“Does Eb know about Thomas?”

Harry doesn’t know, one way or the other.

“Would like to know so that (kidding here) becasue I so want to throttle you for leaving us with the cliff hanger

Finish? End? Why does it have to end? If he’s a wizard and you can get him back out the other end of Ghost Story, shouldn’t he have at least another few centuries ahead of him? I mean… I know YOU can’t write his stories for the next 300 years, but… you have progeny, do you not?

I want Harry running the offices in Edinburgh. From Chigago, of course.

The first time I heard your name was while searching for an anthology featuring Sherrilyn Kenyon. Your name popped up over and over in the reviews. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to reading the anthology.

Most recently, my husband found a TV program on Netflix called Dresden Files. I saw your name and thought “Hey! I’ve heard of him before!” We’re only a few episodes into the storyline, but I’m enjoying it. When I saw Bitten By Books was featuring you, I was immediately interested.

My Question: For someone unfamiliar with your written work, which novel would you suggest for starters? BTW, I’m big into series. So if you could make a suggestion there, I’d love it.

Is there any chance of you coming out to the St. Louis/St. Charles area again for another book signing? I was at your previous signings and they were awesome! I was the guy who made the butcher block for you to autograph.

Jim, thanks for another wonderful book. I don’t know how you do it but reading one of yours over the usual fare is like tv in color when you’ve only had black and white….a whole different thing. I must agree that you are at least quasi-evil….its going to be a long year waiting for the next one. Hope you will make it to Minneapolis again (or perhaps Sioux Falls) on your next tour.

Changes was awesome this next year will feel so long.
Quick question about Donar’s (Odin or an older/wiser Thor?) secretaries me and some guys were wondering what in norse/germanic mythology they were.

(Spoiler Question, beware) SOrry another question about book 13. You said at one of the Turn Coat book signings (saw it on Youtube) that Bob would be the main sidekick, is that still the plan? I love Bob.

I think it was mentioned on your forum that in Changes someone who had soulgazed Harry’s would describe what it looked like. I read Changes and don’t recall this happening. If it did sorry but if not could you give us hints.

Hi Jim,
Wait, Harry is dead? No extra life? I am not a big fan of Lea at the moment, his duster would of taken care of that. Lessons from the past has you leaving hero’s in declining orbit. I guess the question is is Harry only “mosty dead” or should we be rifling through his pockets for spare change?

You have been a busy man! I saw you at the signing at Murder by the Book in Houston last Tuesday. As I understood it, you immediately went from there to another city to do a signing the next day! So … are your wrists coming off yet? Have they staged a boycott? I have NEVER seen that bookstore that crowded for a signing before. (… not that I’ve attended every signing they’ve ever had there.) If I was any shorter, I would have developed claustrophobia!

I’m not entering the contest here. That’s partially because I already have that book. I was #119 in line. How many people did you have to sign books for that night?

Anyhoo. I remember talking to you and to your wife at the RT Convention mass signing a few years back. I still have the bookmark that she gave out I loved your answer to my question regarding your favorite Dresden book: the latest. You said that the latest book has the most mature writer and character … or something to that effect YOU are the word person. I’m not that great with them.

While i am hoping this is still going on i do have a question for you. Eb’s Staff (while the awesomeness that it is), What is it made of? the way i read it, it seemed to me it was made of Onyx or another dark and black like wood/metal. Oh and please let Mister be alive

Jim,
Okay so I am totally smitten with the Dresden Series. I can only hope that we would see two books a year insted of the one. Hope spring eternal! CHANGES is absolutely wonderful and I applaud your talent and your imagination.
Cindy HD

Hello Jim.
One question: Is Harry going to be in a relationship in future books, is he going to have a love/lust interest?

I love the audiobooks!…..but I have one tiny complaint. The Dead Beat audiobook has been released, true. But it is so very frustrating to see this everytime I try to by it *”We’re sorry. Due to publishing rights restrictions, we are not authorized to sell this item in the country where you live.”*
It is so NOT fair!*whining here* I live in Mexico City by the way and already read (book and audiobook) Changes. And I will only say one thing about that.
You’re evil……LOL!
Thank you
ES

No questions from me, as “you’re a professional. torturing us is what you do.”

Changes was fantastic, hands down the best book you’ve written and I’d read them all. I didn’t think you could top the crazyines of the end for the Alera series, but you managed to write an entire book crazier and better then the end of the Alera.

*Spoiler alert* *Spoiler alert*
When Queen Mab heals Harry to become the Winter Knight does she also heal his burned hand? And what was up with the segment between Leanansidhe and Mouse? Will that be explained in the next book or what?

Damned if we do, damned if we dont. We don’t want you buring out but we want the next book, Now. I’m a long term bibliophile who suffers the eternal battle between more books and needing more bookcases; I find it almost impossible to give away any of my books as I’m likely to go back as re-read (for the umpteenth time) them again. I’d really like to thank you Jim for adding to my pile of re-readers; the books I read when I need to take a bit of time out of the world and know that I’m going to enjoy the ride.

I had to notice in Changes that Mab’s trick of sending out her naughty imagery to all of the Never Never in bodies of water was similar to the trick done in FLF. Which made me laugh because Mab does remind me of the Vord queen at times.

I am in awe of your ability to stretch characters. Any advice to writers (I’m doing traditional mystery but it applies the same to all fiction) on how you keep pushing–yourself as well as the characters?

Hi, you’re by and far one my most favorite authors, I was able to make it to the signing when you were in Oakbrook, IL for the release of Turn Coat.

Anyways, my question is this: What made you choose the Aurora, IL drive-in and Chicago in the general sense of things for the basis of the story? Oh, and a side note, did you know that the Aurora drive-in closed and the only drive-in theatre we have these days is in West Chicago?

So you say he gave his life-so is that a confirmation ( sorry folks, SPOILERY STUFF) the assumed death (by myself, can’t speak for others) is certain? Sorry for the poor wording, my brain is mush right now.

1.) Are we going to find out for certain (not speculation) who hired the hitman in Changes?
2.) Are we going to find out where the Hexenwolf belts came from in Fool Moon?
3.) When will Harry finally get the whole truth about his past? (As in his mom, grandfather — who they REALLY are/were?)

Hey Mr. Butcher
Just want to say thank you for the wonderful stories I was wondering if you have ever toyed with the idea of writing your own version of King Arthur and merlin legend as it happened in the Dresden world?

You are a professional and torturing is what you do? Wait, I thought you are a professional and telling stories is what you do. Hardly matters, we are all in love with your stories and am going to hang on every word (inside AND outside of the books).

Anyway, the next question I have has more to do with the writing process rather than the story itself. How do you keep track of the many character names? So far I don’t remember you reusing any names. I know some authors like to keep cross-references on character names and profiles, do you do something similar?

Everyone is asking about the books, which is cool, but I have to be odd. Did you like the way Bob and Harry were portrayed in the Dresden Files program? Oddly, I saw that first, THEN read the books, so it’s hard for me to say.

Contest stuff:
Already subscribe to BBB
RSVP’d for Carolyn
Took poll and commented
Commented on book chat.
RSVP’d

If the Blackstaff can violate the laws at will and without being corrupted, why did Eb not violate the 5th law and raise Harry’s mother from the dead using necromancy, the way Kumori did to that one guy, and the way Kemmler did to himself?

****spoilers**** I noticed that when Lea said she would take care of Susan with all the honor and respect that Harry could wish and that she would bring Harry to visit when he was ready, she very carefully didn’t say anything about an actual funeral/burial. Am I reading too much into that?

I am interested in knowing if we will ever get back to Mouse’s comment about “winning” Harry. I’m totally mystified. I am also highly intrigued by the Gray Council showing up as 12 in number. So we found out who 2 of them were, i’d like to know how many of the rest we already know and how many of them haven’t been formally introduced to us yet.

First, just want to say, love your books. Was wondering if there was any truth to the rumor of a Harry Dresden movie? I enjoyed the brief tv series, and do have to say, if it wasn’t for that show, I would have missed out on a great series.

Jim… You are my all time favorite writer. IMO the best writer I’ve ever read. Just thought I’d say thanks for all the work you do in getting these books done. I can see it’s a lot of work.
I’ll continue to see you on twitter and the JBForums anytime I get the chance.
Liz

Hello Jim,
My question is Why did they cancel the series? That is how I discovered Harry and got hooked. All of your books are on my TBR or TBB list. I’m on a tight limited budget and can’t always buy books and my local library has no Harry. I believe I did everything to get contest entries except buy the book and RSVP for Carol I tried and got a service busy page. I hope you don’t plan to end Harry anytime soon. Hubby just popped into the room to ask what I was doing, told him and he said to tell you that your Harry graphic novel is on his TBR and TBB list.

At the moment I have no questions. Mostly because I’m in awe of being in the same room (so to speak) as you :). Thanks for some incredible entertainment. I love Alera – such a refreshing new world- and I read an interview where you said that the concept for it came from a challenge (mix lost Roman Legion with Pokemon). Is that true? I have to agree that it is the writer, not the concept that makes the book. Amazing.
I love Harry – he would be invited to the ‘which character would you have to dinner’ dinner. I would just be sure to wear something fireproof.
Thank you so much for your time and talent!
(I rsvp’d)

Are you planning on wrapping up all the lose ends tha tyou’ve popped into your books? An example is how you’ve mentioned this bargain Harry made with Lea mutliple times, but never actually visited it directly, but only in hints.

Will we ever see that full scene/and the many other similar type situation when you wrap up the series?

This is concerning Mouse. When Mouse said how he had “won” Harry, was it literal in that he duked it out amongst the other puppies, or was it more of a he’s-awesome-and-I-was-lucky-to-get-him kind of thing?

Thought of another one: Why did some of the red court vampires (after the sacrifice) just revert to being human? Not one of them could have been a younger vampire than Susan… Others died, the half ones became human again (if they were young enough)… but some of the full red court vampires just reverted to being human (and not dying).

Hey Jim, thanks a ton for giving use this opportunity even though we couldn’t make the book signings.
I have two questions, First are you still into and attending NERO?
Second, Is Toot-toot’s increase in size due to his actions, or the title and followers he has acquired doing Harry’s bidding?

“Changes” was absolutely the best book that I have read in a very, long time. Being on vacation last week, I read several books from favorite authors and just said “OH”. But, when I finished “Changes”, I just sat there with the closed book in my hands and said “WOW”. It was also a LIFESAVER as I followed my daughter from store to store and read 128 pages while she tried on Prom dresses. Thank you for this stunning book.

I am a big fan and will buy any book with your name on it. Thanks for the fantastic ending to the Codex Alera btw Looking forward to more from Thomas’ POV as well!

I have to say that Changes was so completely satisfying that I don’t even begrudge you the “cliffy” ending.

To me the ending was just so completely in character for the series that I wasn’t even suprised by the fact that the book ended on that note. For all the things that “changed” in the novel, it really was the most Dresden of the Dresden Files. Thanks so much for all your hard work.

Will we get to see more of Ivy soon? I thought at one point that her security would make for a safe place for Maggie to stay. Of course that would leave Harry trusting his kid to Kincaid.

**SPOILERs** I think for me the saddest loss was Harry’s home, mostly his laboratory. Is Harry going to go back/rebuild out of sheer stubborness? Or is he moving on?
A house on deamon reach could be fun… But the commute would be a nightmare.

Hi Jim! I cannot wait to read this newest book. I got my dad hooked on them too and he’s excited as well. I have a question about who you’d want to play characters if they made a movie of the series? Who would be the perfect Harry, Michael, Molly, and Murphy for you?

If the bloodline spell had been triggered by RK killing poor Maggie, would Susan and Harry have been protected from the effects by being Lea’s hounds in the Never Never. Would being in the Never Never itself (hounds or not) have protected them from the effects of the spell?

1)i just saw a post in the last 2 days about Lionsgate possibly working on a Dresden film. I know you briefly touched on the topic of a film at your Seattle signing, but can you confirm if this is a new development in the last couple days, i.e. there could be a Dresden film in the works?

2)With the upcoming anthologies, how many will there be and which books will each contain & Will there be an anthology of just the short stories as well to get all of them in one location?

3)Is there any chance to get some of the alternate versions (i.e. Book club style) of the Dresden books for sale on your site? Some of them look very cool, but they seem to be very hard to find

Actually, I helped out a little with the founding of an organization made from a group of chapters who broke away from NERO to found their own gaming system. It’s called Heroic Interactive Theatre, and you can find out more at http://www.heroicit.net.

We still game at the same site with the same folks, but we’re using a different rules system.

Jim, I wanted to say thank you so much. My question is really more about the result of the books. How has Dresden changed your life in general? When just writing an assignment was there ever even a thought that your story would take you where you are now? (Having so many people hanging on your every word.)

I read the Dresden Files in its entirety last year, from the Storm Front through Small Favor. I became an avid fan but after finishing Small Favor I went into a bit of withdrawal. So I searched for other fantasy fiction of the same style, and I got into the Laurel K. Hamilton Anita Blake series, where I

Thank you for dropping by today. I RSVP-ed for this and I have a question for you:

I love your Codex Alera series and was wondering if you plan to do anymore set in this world or are you done with it completely? Do you plan to do another Fantasy series similar to this one in the future?

My boyfriend LOVES the Dresden Files Series and always grabs them when he goes to a bookstore.

Thanks for answering my question, Jim. I look forward to starting this series soon.

Thanks for Changes. Anyways, you made mention of a dinner involving Maggie, Eb, and others. Is that plot going to be resolved? Also, I can’t help but notice she’s hanging out with people with a connection to ( and possibly knowledge of) outsiders before she has Harry…

First off- thanks for all the great books. I’ve been celebrating “Christmas in April” for the past few years because no gift I got in December could top a new Dresden Files book.

So my question is, even though Harry’s apartment was obviously destroyed in the fire, is there a chance that the lab/sub-basement survived? Is there a chance Harry will be headed back there to pick up the pieces?

Be easier to type if Tux the cat would let me. Anyways, great job on Changes, but have a question regarding Aftermath, the Murphy POV novella. In most, if not all of the previous short stories/novellas you could easily miss them without missing anything in the main books, will this hold true for Aftermath? Yes I am trying to gauge how important the story is so that I can speculate on what will happen in Ghost Story:).

Another question, we know that Harry’s father, Malcolm, was a vanilla mortal, what about the rest of his family, parents grandparents, etc. Does magic have to follow from Mother/father-to-child or can it skip a generation or 5?

Changes was great by the way, renewed my faith in the series. Oh and by the way you are a horrible scumbag drug dealer:P Bring on April ’11 for my next hit:).

Thanks for taking the time to mill through the overwhelming amount of questions we seem to be accumulating for you.

Part of the fun and excitement of the Dresden Files is seeing the way you put new interpretations or spins on a lot of European Folk Lore, Fairy Tales, Supernatural entities, as well as delving into Biblical elements. Do you have any intention of including more material from Greek/Roman mythology?

“1)i just saw a post in the last 2 days about Lionsgate possibly working on a Dresden film. I know you briefly touched on the topic of a film at your Seattle signing, but can you confirm if this is a new development in the last couple days, i.e. there could be a Dresden film in the works?”

I’m just the writer, man. Lionsgate doesn’t really keep me up to date on their business, now that they hold the option. Heck, they did not so much as comp me a copy of the DVDs.

If there is a movie in the works, it’s news to me. I’ll find out about it when there’s a press release, just like everyone else.

It’s certainly possible that something is moving, but I find it unlikely that anyone short of a Lionsgate employee or well-placed industry insider would have information like that.

I’d chalk it up to (yet another) rumor until there’s something more solid to go on.

Bob said that the bloodline curse would be triggered by the sacrifice of an innocent. In what way was Susan innocent? In a strictly biblical sense (not that I subscribe to this) she is a fallen woman having had a child outside of wedlock. Then there is the fact that she murdered Martin and turned into a Red Vampire.

Susan killing Martin to become a Red Court Vampire is the key item to note here. Killing him finished the transformation. However, she doesn’t have a chance to do anything to sully her ‘innocence’ in her new form before Harry sacrifices her. She is pure in her new state of being. Which is why the curse worked.

As many people may have already noted (or not) McCoy has in his quarters over a thousand years of journals from master to student, all the way back to the journals of the original Merlin. But has anyone wondered – was what McCoy REALLY getting at was the possibility that he and Harry are DESCENDANTS of Merlin himself? Just another of many thoughts….

“In most, if not all of the previous short stories/novellas you could easily miss them without missing anything in the main books, will this hold true for Aftermath? Yes I am trying to gauge how important the story is so that I can speculate on what will happen in Ghost Story:)”

If you read “Aftermath” it should reduce some of the system shock that’s going to happen in Ghost Story.

The events of Changes… well, /changed/ /everything/ in the story world. You get to see the first of many, many dominoes starting to fall in “Aftermath.” Pay attention to Will. He might be nearsighted, but he’s got great vision for the big picture.

Jim, how have you managed to keep Harry so well grounded? A comment was made earlier about the Laurell K Hamilton books and I used to read them but the heroine has become ‘icky’ for want of a better word… Just keeps getting more magic and while there seems to be an over arching plot to that series it’s being lost to the s3x magic.

Harry, by contrast, seems to be getting ‘richer’ as each book arrives. A testament to your writing skills I might add. So, does it every worry you that Harry will be come a characterture of a character? I love Harry, he grows, he doesn’t always get it right, he does his best, he deals with the fact that sometimes you don’t really have a good choice sometimes it’s just a matter of picking the least objectionable action…

Yet, is it shallow of me to want to know that he comes out alive at the end of everything?

“Could Uriel have chosen to help Harry if he had wanted to, or is there actually some universal limit that prevents him from directly influencing the world in such overt fashion?”

A little of both. Technically, it was /possible/ for Uriel to act directly, but the consequences would have been extreme, both for him and for the mortal world–to the point where you’d have to be moderately insane to do it. Or else, really, really committed to some kind of personal moral compass that was 90 degrees off true.

“Many many dominoes starting to fall”?? Good gad man, it’s like your PAID to torture us!
I feel like I need to stand on a street corner with a cardboard sign
“The end is nigh! For the Dresdenverse at least.”

Jim, are there any plans for any Dresden File spin-offs? We had the one with Harry’s brother but it is now hard to find. Any such thing would be very welcome–maybe even a book based on Susan in South America with her as the protag instead of Harry. She is a strong character…

“Was the White Council and the Red court ever at war before this last one? what kind of diplomatic relationship did they have? friendly? peaceful? trying to kill each other at ever other turn?”

Mostly it was small-scale conflicts between individuals. The Red Court has pretty much been headquartered in South and Central America, generally, while the White Council stuck to the wealthier nations of Europe, the US, and the upper end portions of Asia. It moderated the potential for conflict, though individuals fought in outlying areas where those general borders overlapped–places like Chicago.

Jim-
I love your books and really enjoy reading your Q&As such as this, or watching the ones from the last couple of signings that have shown up on youtube. Any chance of you coming up to Alaska eventually for one of your signings to make all of your Alaskan fans extremely happy? We so rarely get anyone good way up here in the middle of nowhere.

Your work has been a true blesing to me spiritually. I found The Dresden Files during a very personal crisis. Harry’s struggles, triumphs, and even his failures helped restore my faith in God and frame my experience properly. I just wanted to tell you thank you and please keep up the wonderful work (although I WISH the books would come out twice a year, but hey…you need a life too). Take care.

Fidelacchius responded superbly to Murphy. Michael, Shiro and Sanya have all been revealed to be the descendants of Kings, implying that all wielders must be. But then Susan was able to wield Amoracchius because of her love for Maggie and the purity of her present purpose.

So, are Murphy and Susan both incidentally descendants of Kings as well? What are the true qualifications to be a Knight of the Cross?

Now that Amoracchius is again un-wielded, Molly as a descendent of Charlemagne could double as a wizard and Knight.

Is it possible for a Winter Knight to also be a member of the White Council? Would that not be a serious conflict of interest? If that were to happen in theory (heh heh) what would be the reaction from Merlin, Ancient Mai, etc?

“Is the Eldest gruff ever going to make another appearance? And in a match of Him and Lea vs Ferrovax, who would you bet on?”

Ferrovax would crush them both, if they had time to get ready, got to pick the time and place, and pulled out every resource at their disposal. It would be brief and brutal, like watching Tyson in his prime, when the fights were all 30 seconds long, except replacing his opponent with a 15 year old blind girl.

There’s just no comparison, there. Lea and Elder gruff are deadly beings. But Ferrovax is a force of nature. MAB would be loathe to take on Ferro, at least head-on.

Donuts seem to be a recurring theme in the stories (along with Real Coke and Burger King). It made me wonder whether the donuts Harry was offered, and ate, in Vadderung’s office might have some real significance, or whether in this case, sometimes a donut is just a donut?

As much as reading a story will reflect in a readers current emotions/mood (laughing, smiling, anger, crying, etc…), does it also reflect on you while writing a story? Such as, while writing the 2 of the more dramatic scenes involving Susan and Maggie near the end of Changes, did it have an emotional effect on you while writing them?

Hi, Jim!
Both my husband and I loved the Dresden series and really miss the TV show “The Dresden Files.” I always thought that actress Patricia Heaton would have made an excellent Karen Murphy (even though she’s not blond or blue-eyed). Is there any chance there will be another TV series or movie about Dresden??
So after the TV series died (regrettably), we read all of the Dresden books. I love your droll sense of humor and Harry’s banter. But I hate that he gets beat up so much.
Say, I live in northern Lee’s Summit just down the road from Independence. I don’t suppose I would ever just bump into you running around somewhere local? Such as? Is that a current picture of you? I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Don’t worry, though. I’m 60 years old and happily married. It would be cool! But I would probably be too tongue-tied if I did see you around. Take care…

Firstly Changes rocked all The Dresden Files books have been amazing and Codex Alera was fantastic!!
My question is less to do with the books and more with your touring, do you have any plans to visit the United Kingdom (London;) ) in the future, as we’d love to have you!!

I discovered your books through James Marsters. I bought the CD of Fool Moon first and now have all the books and CDs that are published with orders for the ones not yet out(Dresden files & Alera.)I love re-reading & re-listening to the Dresden books because I pick up new info/connections every time I do.

James Marsters is the best at making each character easily identified and real.

Hi Mr. Butcher,
My question is, there seem to be quite a few times in the past books where Harry could have used magic in order to do certain things easier, is this because his power is so limited or (by age and experience) is it because the story would be less dramatical, or is it that he just doesn’t think to use it.

I’ve occasionally tried to have this question pop up over the years, and Small Favor answered some of it, but not all — do you have (and are you willing to share) the names of all 30 of the Denarians worked out?

Jim, were you on a cruise recently? My daughter sawears she met you or your non-so-evil twin ona a boat from Baltimore to Florida a few weeks back. I told her she was crazy, buttt…
I love Alera and dresden. I got my GF, both kids and three people at work into the Dresdenverse. Huge fans! Changes rocked!

Just so you know you made my husband cuss when he read the last page of Changes. It was great
No question just wanted to say that we both love your books.
Thanks for answering all the questions this is much more fun to do at work…than work

I seem to remember at a Q&A a few years ago, you said Tera West would be showing up in Book 13 aka Ghost Story. Is this still happening, or has her character been shuffled down the line a bit due to the change in total number of case file books?

Since Molly is still under the Doom of Damocles, and Harry is indisposed, would it be logical to assume that Mouse is going to be Molly’s guardian, and not only keep her safe, but also keep her from doing something that could potentially get her killed?

And of all the creatures that Harry has encountered, is he ever going to save and/or need the help of a unicorn?

Will Harry ever learn of the source of the ley line under Demonreach? Is it possible that the source is an Outsider, considering the darkness of the source the ley line comes from?

And the “mantle” that McCoy speaks of in his journal – is this some king of guardianship over the island, or the source of the ley line? Demonreach seems to have a future part to play in Harry’s life, and it’s much bigger than anyone seems to realize. I hope that this becomes more evident as time goes on.

Mr. Butcher,
I read somewhere that the next book is planned to be out in 2016. Please, debunk this. I’m quite terrified at the thought of having to wait a full 6 years, possibly after THE WORLD ENDS, to read the next Dresden File.

“I seem to remember at a Q&A a few years ago, you said Tera West would be showing up in Book 13 aka Ghost Story. Is this still happening, or has her character been shuffled down the line a bit due to the change in total number of case file books?”

My first answer is “bump her down a couple.” But on the other hand, it might be interesting to see her again in this book.

Another question I’ve been wondering about, is the Denarians vs. the swords. 30 Denarians, 3 swords – would 1sword+10coins=destruction of sword and coins? Or would that upset the balance of power too much?

I realize that Maggie has a Latina “look,” but I keep coming back to Cowl’s young protegee… Is it possible that Cowl is, in fact, a future version of Harry? YOu mentioned the laws of Magic and a major one is not mucking about in time. Will this becoem as important as I anticipate?

Are Harry’s thoughts on the first two pages of Chapter 33 of Changes (258-9) foreshadowing for the ending sequence of events?

Did the *rite* with Mab give Harry knowledge of how to use ice/winter magic, or did he get more talent/juice for using it? I ask because he uses “Arctis” rather than Fuego or something of that nature with Stevie D.

IMO I wouldn’t have asked Elaine along to save Maggie because A) it might expose her to the White Council +a large number of baddies. 2) Harry might not entirely completely trust her all the time. 3) It’d be kindof weird to have your Ex go with you and your other ex to save the kid she never told you about.

Jim, thank you for chatting with us. I’m about to fall aslpeep at the keybaord so I’m going to head back to bed for a couple more hours sleep… Dawns only just arriving so maybe I can trick my bodyclock into thinking it has had a full nnights sleep.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and please know that you have at least one fan down here in Australia (impatiently) waiting for Afetrmath and Ghost Story and ALL THE REST of Harry’s tales.

Hi Jim – I finally got my 17 year old son to try your books and he loves them. He just caught up to Changes this week. I’m glad I can recommend a vampire/wizard/werewolf story to a teenager and not have to worry about fantasy porn halfway through any given chapter.

My question is, Thomas always uses a sword in the big battle scenes. Seeing as how Suzan wielded a sword of the cross without exploding, can’t Thomas? And would it help him control himself around the pretties?

Jim,
Love all of the stories you have shared… My question is do you have plans for another new series? I was so sad to see Codex Alera completed, as it meant no more…(keep in mind after seeing Avatar, we decided the technology exist for Alera to be a movie… we geeky-ly tried to work out a voice cast as well)

Thank you for all the wonderful books. I love the Dresden Files and I was so excited when the show came out – for that very brief period, grrr.

Question late so it probably won’t be answered, but where do you find the inspiration for your stories? Some writers say dreams, some just pop in your head. Dresden is so imaginative, ever for us fairyphiles, that I had to ask the most cliche question of the day.

Hi–I have a question about Mouse that I hope is okay for you to answer. I have a hard time picturing what Mouse looks like, other than he is large and has gray fur/hair. What current dog breed does he resemble?

(Yes, I know Ancient Mai called him a Foo Dog in “Turn Coat,” which is a mythical Chinese temple dog/lion. However, there are several dog breeds that are supposed to resemble these guardian creatures, such as the Shar Pei, the Pug, the Japanese Chin, the Chow Chow, etc. But these breeds can look very different from one another, such as the wrinkly face of a Shar Pei vs. the non-wrinkly Chin. So, then if Mouse looks like one of these Foo breeds, which one does he most closely look like?)

For what it’s worth, I always assumed Mouse was a furry Tibetan mastiff. They do come in both a long and short haired version, and someone in one of the books observed that he looked like a Caucasian mastiff… and with all that fur… I don’t know that there are many people who could tell one from the other.

Heya Jim – Will you share why you made ‘changes’ to the way you named the 12th book in the series? It seems with the title Ghost Story for the 13th book, you’re heading back to your normal mode of book titles.

Mr. Butcher, I love your work. Are you planning on doing anything in Alera ever again? I just got into the books this year and am already on First Lord’s Fury. I never thought it possible, but I may like them better than Dresden Files.

So, this book we saw Harry get a gem from his mother to fill the center of his necklace. Now, a certain White Court vampire has a matching necklace. Would it be reasonable to guess that there’s also thus a matching gem?

Hi Jenna E, i also wondered what Mouse would look like and i recently read somewhere that Jim had stated something about it looking like a Caucasion Mountain dog, go to this link http://caucasianmountaindogblog.com/page/2/ and scroll down until you see the man standing behind the dog!!

I’m absolutely addicted to the Dresden series! Got some of my family members hooked too.

I was so psyched about the impending arrival of Changes that I went back and re-read the earlier books a couple of times and created a couple of charts so I could cross reference events and characters. After spending several hours on it, my friend decided to let me know that other people had already done all that work and posted it online! Drat! Oh well, I still had fun doing it.

You are a master storyteller! I can’t wait to see what will happen next.

“Is it safe to say, that since Bob is a romance addict, he was a womanizer back when he was in his human form?”

Bob never /had/ a human form. He’s a spirit of intellect (which gets confused with “air spirit” in some writings, I believe because air was the element that symbolized the intellect, intelligence and logic).

Bob’s origins are the subject of upcoming storylines, so I won’t get too far into them–but he’s always been a being of spirit, never mortal.

How/Has the creation of the RPG affected how you world build in your stories. Has it made you more careful about things like environments etc, or is it an entirely anecdotal creation buy the guys at Evil Hat? Also will the work on city building that people like Rick Neal and others have posted on the net going to feed back into the Books. ie. will Nevermore be featured in the books, or the work that Rick’s done on Winnipeg?

Hello,You talked about Norse and Greco/Roman Mythlogy has influenced and appeared in your writing. How does lesser known mythology it in or will it (Slavic, Finnish, Indian, Native America, Sumerian (sp?), etc.)?

Thank you for all great book’s. My question is you said you planned on writing a trilogy to end the Dresden Files can you tell me if Harry will be alive to live happily ever afterwards till the end of his days?

So, Jim, did you actually work out the whole list of 9 characters at Chichen Itza = 9 members of the Fellowship of the Ring, and, if so, who was who? (I mean, if Molly decided Harry was Sam, who were Frodo, Merry and Pippin?)

Cathy W. — Jim, absolutely love your work! (And I’ve managed to get many friends and family hooked, as well!)

My question is more craft-related… I’ve read interviews about how you’ve got a series arc for 20 books, and how you have a loose idea of plot for each novel. Do you ever feel stuck, or blocked, or utterly surprised by how a book turns out?

I have another question. Were you upset at all with the TV series? They seemed to have changed a lot of elements of Harry’s background and Bob had a human form in the show. I don’t know how much you were involved in the show itself so I was just curious if there were things you would have changed to make it more like the books?

Hi Jim, Just finished the book thirty minutes ago and hopped on. LOVED IT. I have one (actually dozens, but I’ll only ask one) question…Does Dresden’s current condition mean that the Knights power has flowed back to Mab?

I introduced the series to my friends and family, right? My son, age 12 picked up one of the small Dresden book colleciton I had bought at Borders and decided to begin there.He started with Death Masks. Jim, you only have one major sexual scene of shennanigans in the whole series prior to Harry and Mab in Changes… and THATs the one he read first. Needless to say, my young teenage boy has been hooked from his first book. lol.
My GF is a Romance novel nutcase, yet she is incredibly passionate about Dresden. Without much in the way of sex… how do you manage to entrance so many of us into Harry’s romantic life? Kudos, Sir…. truly.

Well, time for one last question before I return to the land of World of Warcraft (since none of my other questions were answered, probably due to the spoiler content they would have).

Will Harry EVER learn of the “secret history” of his mother, Margaret McCoy, former lover of the White King, who planned out the birth of her son Harry, and what is so important about the particulars of his own birth?

You’ve said that Dresden started out as a class project. So does that mean there’s some teacher/professor out there who knows how the series will end? Is there anybody besides you that knows where it’s going?

Thanks for doing this, and the books, I’ve hooked 2 people so far, and working on more.

Casey T… I always figured Bob and Molly have not yet been introduced. Harry mentioned something in Turn Coat about wanting to keep Bob’s influence away from Molly until she was better able to deal with her own temptations.

Jim–someone else asked this as well, but I couldn’t see an answer: Little Chicago wasn’t mentioned in Turn Coat, and was barely mentioned in Changes… was it destroyed in the fire? Did the FBI notice it? It’s it gone for good?

Hey Jim, big fan. first of all to the guy who mentioned the ravens, think secretaries. also **SPOILER ALERT***** im really hoping harry isnt dead, and couldnt you have at least let the poor guy ahem “meet” murphy first

This isn’t a question quite so much as something I just have to say. In the old days, things were civilized, a guy would mess up your plans, you’d shoot him. But thrashing the Beetle, reducing an ORIGINAL Star Wars poster to ash? That’s just plain mean…

The title “Changes” seems less deliberate, even after one reading. I’d have thought something like Red End, something incorporating the significant consequence to the Red Court would be more appropriate. All the titles make sense after reading.

His car, his house, his apartment, AND his duster, GONE?! Change.
the eradication of a MAJOR enemy, like, their entire SPECIES?! Change.
Thomas deciding to become a major white court vampire again?! Change.
Ebenezar comes out as his grandpa?! CHANGE.
HARRY BECOMES THE FREAKING WINTER KNIGHT!!! CHANGES! FREAKING CHANGES.
and that’s not all, folks!
/endrant

Is there any significance to “Changes” being a one-word title and every other (including the upcoming “Ghost Story”) being a duo? I like to think of it as a fulcrum for the narrative to pivot on–like Empire Strikes Back or Half-blood Prince–as it grows darker and more serious. Or am I being too English Professor-y with it?

And what do you think about scholarship on the Dresden Files? I’ve not seen any, personally, but I have some ideas for conference papers or presentations I’d like to do in the future.

I get the title of Changes. The whole book is one change after another.
You could name just about anyone or anything that seems like a permanent fixture in the series, then it is somehow different by the end of the book.

@Joe Campbell, as I said, I was commenting on the less deliberate clue style of the title. Certainly all the points you make are implicit and count as life changes, but as I said, this is a break from the deliberate title style that was revealed to be a clue. OK, in retrospect EVERYTHING Changes does describe it. And now Ghost Story implies much since we know that Harry’s next adventure may not be corporeal.

I think the events of Changes are going to help The Dresden books avoid what has plagued so many other series… and that’s repetition. So many series end up becoming either a) completely episodic, barely touching the meta-plot or b) they unnaturally drag out plots to the point that characters start acting stupidly just to keep things going. (Think some of those seasons of 24 that depended wholly on characters making dumb moves).

I really believe that Changes will stave off the stale-ness for some time

It appears that I have finally caught up with all the questions and answers. Is there a reason why you aren’t answering any of the question about The Dresden Files tv series? I was only able to watch four maybe five episodes. Got angry when I found out it was cancelled. Seems like every show I really like gets axed.

Hi Jim
How many books have you writen?I have about seven of them but have not gotten around to reading them yet.hope to soon.
* I Spread the word on my myspace and facebook and here is the linkshttp://www.myspace.com/sasluvbooks & facebook.com/sasluvbooks
* I RSVPEd to be here
* I RSVPed for Carolyn Crane
* I did the polls
* Stacey S
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

“What is your favorite gaming system? XBox, PS3 or WII? And what is your favorite game of all time?”

I game on a PC, mostly, though XBox takes second place thanks to Halo.

“And are you thinking about doing a Dresden Files game?”

Since I don’t have the time, knowledge, or resources to create my own video game, no. There’s this huge misperception that authors get to allow movies to be made or not made, where we turn our thumb up or down and that is the deciding factor.

The real deciding factor is whether or not anyone who is in the appropriate business is interested in using my material.

Even small television audiences are an order of magnitude greater than very successful book audiences. I might have an audience of a couple of hundred thousand people, tops, who read Dresden books, now. When the show first aired, that audience was more like 50-75k.

On its slowest nights, the television show had more than a MILLION viewers. Usually more. Television producers very, very rarely think in terms of “getting a book’s audience for their TV show.” Most book audiences aren’t large enough to do more than form /part/ of a core of viewers–and they’re more likely to be actively /hostile/ to the show, since TV rarely matches up with the books that inspired it.

The point being that when Hollywood shows up, they offer to buy the rights and give you some piece of the business if it takes off. You get to say “yes I will take the deal” or “no I won’t.” But, at least for new authors, there’s very little negotiating room. You take the deal or you don’t. What happens to the property after that is generally out of your control entirely (with JK Rowling being a notable exception).

Most new authors jump at the chance to score an option deal, because 1) they need the money to do things like buy food and 2) because if the property /does/ get made into a product, it’s going to mean dramatic growth for his audience, even if the product blows–there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

If you blow them off, well. You run the risk of losing an opportunity that might never come again.

It’s always a gamble. Gambling, by its nature, means that the results are not wholly in your control.

I’ve really been looking forward to this one !!!! Wondering if we’ll
be hearing at all from the White Court as the Red Court is so involved
with this one ` Is harry feeling the sexual tension as well ??? ( And
having to battle that simultaneously ) Thanks……. Ray

Jim,
We are all suffering here in anguish.
Will you be releasing a chapter one of “ghost story” much sooner than 12 months away so we don’t die.
If not will Murphy’s short story tell us how it turns out?
When will aftermath come out?

So with Harry letting Father Forthill make Maggie disappear into their holy witness protection program, will we ever see her again? Especially with the possibility of her having major magic mojo, considering all the heavyweights in her family.

LOVE your books! And, I must say, I had to read Changes THREE times to get over the state of shock about that ending.

Having not yet read Changes (it comes in the mail tomorrow) I still have a question (Not a major storyline question)
You mentioned that all of the Knights of the Cross were of royal heritage. Why is this? Does being royal make you more qualified to be one of the Knights?
Okay, so maybe I lied. Maybe it was a major storyline question. Sorry!

Fidelacchius responded superbly to Murphy. Michael, Shiro and Sanya have all been revealed to be the descendants of Kings, implying that all wielders must be. But then Susan was able to wield Amoracchius because of her love for Maggie and the purity of her present purpose.

So, are Murphy and Susan both incidentally descendants of Kings as well? What are the true qualifications to be a Knight of the Cross?

Now that Amoracchius is again un-wielded presuming an unemployed Murphy takes her sword up again, Molly as a descendent of Charlemagne could double as a wizard and Knight.

Thanks for your response about the video game. If the opportunity does present itself someday – keep in mind many of your readers are also gamers and the Dresden story is one that would adapt well in a gaming platform.

Either way I really enjoy your Harry Dresden. I read a ton, but your books make me feel like a kid, because magic’s real and the way they are written (roller coaster from beginning to end) I find myself becoming very animated whether its something making me happy (jumping on the bed) or thoroughly pissed (throwing things).

Dresden is such a stubborn, lovable, honorable bonehead Thanks for sharing him w/us.

Greetings and salutations to you Jim! May I just say that ‘Changes’ is far and away the best book in the series so far. I apologize if this question has already been asked but I just wanted to know, how much of YOUR ideals are expressed in Harry’s character? For example, his feelings on religion and the supernatural and his comfort with being slightly more than human? I find your insight into this intriguing as if finally someone has the SIMPLE answers to those of us who struggle to find it ourselves.
Thanks

It’s funny that the Dresden Files takes place in Chicago and yet I do not recall any mention of deep-dish pizza being served to Toot-toot. Should the readers assume the pizza is deep-dish, or are the little faeries, like myself, simply not a fan of the Chicago pies?

Hi, just wanted to say that my husband and I love your series. I do have a question though. A lot of my favorite writers are inspired by music. Is there any kind of music that inspires you? If so, what kind? Thanks!

Hey Mr. Butcher I was wondering where I could find the information on this new short story coming out in July. I heard it takes off right after Changes from Murphy’s perspective. And I totally agree with JParmann about the books making me animated. (Fell out of my chair on the last page)

I have a bit of a weird question. My little boy has autism and so that particular disorder spends a lot of time in my brain. I think it has taken up permanent residence there, a bit like a fallen angel with an attitude.

I guess I wonder what a wizard with autism spectrum disorder would look like. Would they be able to control and focus power, or would it become something uncontrolled? I had this same question flit through my head when reading HP too. Stupid brain, stop thinking weird thoughts. But since they’re there, do you have any ideas on this?

I am hooked on your series and am working on hooking the neighborhood. Whenever someone asks me for something to read, I slip them the first two of your books.

It’s funny but I think you need to read two of your books to really get hooked. I wasn’t hooked until I read book two. Has anyone else ever told you that?

Anyway – thanks for the pictures of Mouse – that was totally not what I pictured at all…

Were you pleased with how Bob was portrayed in the TV series – I own the season DVD and it also was not how I pictured him at all – did you have a say in that?

I have not yet read “Changes” because it is not yet available here in Israel. But I will pick one up when I go the visit my sister in the US in June. No chance I can do something crazy to entice you to come do a book signing here, huh? Jerusalem is a great city….

I’ve wondered about a prequel that revisits the story of Harry and Elaine’s training and romance, their relationship with Justin and the death match between them, the trial and Ebenezar’s assumption of Harry’s care. Any chance for this story Jim?

Thanks for answering my previous question. Al this talk about The Dresden Files got me to read again the paragraph from Ebenezar’s journal(which I think is the biggest mystery of the series), and while I realize you cannot elaborate on that, I want to know what happened to what the Merlin said:”The Merlin has demanded that we put the boy under surveillance at once.”. I mean in Changes, Harry wasn’t under surveillance.

“First, a big SLAP to all the folks posting spoilers! I just got the book today, dang it.”

Um, no offense here, but. Did you really expect an author doing a Q&A the week after a big release date WOULDN’T be talking about the new book? You kinda did it to yourself. Not fair to call out other folks on that one.

Kinkaid gave Harry knowledge of how one might kill Harry and get away with it. Why wouldn’t Harry use that knowledge to create a potent response, just supposing it might happen? One might discover the aftermath in a later story?

Jim,
I’ve already said this a couple of times in various places, but Dresden Files is one of the best series I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and Changes was one of the best books of the entire series.

Since you apparently subsist on the anguish of your readers, and mix their tears into your morning coffee, I’ll forgo asking anything from the current book. I expect you’ll likely pull a Robert Jordan and tell me to “Read and Find Out.”

I do have some questions from the other books, though.

1) In Storm Front, how did the Black Council (if it was the BC) find Victor Sells?
1a) …and did Victor approach them to learn magic, or did they approach him?

2) In that same vein, was it the BC that taught him the bloodline curse, and did they know that he wouldn’t have the power to kill more than the primary target?
2a) Who were the innocents that Victor sacrificed to pull off the bloodline curse? Wouldn’t he have had to sacrifice someone in his victims’ immediate family to pull it off?

3) Is Nicodemus Kemmler-dead or Harry-dead? And what happened to his coin?

I’m hoping you’ll answer a writing question, even though I haven’t seen you answer one previously.

Have you ever had to balance a full time job with writing? If so, how did you make the time to do everything? And do you have any advice for someone trying to become a writer?

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, and for writing such a great series. You’ve got me anxious for next year to get here already.

Thanks for all the fun I’ve had reading your books Jim.
I recently read The Chronicles of the Black Company for the first time. The character of The Lady reminded me a great deal of Mab. Did you draw any inspiration for Mab from her? Or am I reading too much in?

“You mentioned that all of the Knights of the Cross were of royal heritage. Why is this? Does being royal make you more qualified to be one of the Knights?”

It doesn’t make you qualified, so much as it makes you /responsible/. It’s a small but important distinction.

I’ve seen a well-done argument that defined goodness, in the Dresden stories, as power balanced by responsibility–and evil as power without accompanying responsibility to restrain and control it. I liked it.

For a large number of reasons, I greatly enjoy this series and its heroes (I’m counting Murphy, as she is my favourite).

This might be an “unimportant detail” question, but where did your inspiration for Harry’s gestures come from?

In watching the television series, my husband and I noticed Paul doing a rather “Wonder Woman” deflection of an attack with his shield bracelet, and we noted that in our minds while reading the books, we imagined Harry would have had his hand outstretched, fingers splayed, but we could not recall any specific hand gestures described in the books…

…until “Changes,” where we have several gestures described. Such as “I love you” in sign language for a warding gesture, and a ‘C’ shape for a newly-acquired icy spell. Did you create these symbols? Or are they existing in some mythology or another?

I’ll second Deborah’s cyber slap to the spoiler people. Ya know some of us like to be SURPRISED by endings and are too busy to read a book that fast! EVIL EVIL people. You got to be surprised. *pouts* Okay don’t think you’re evil just not very conscientious about not giving away endings/plot points.

At 3/4 of the way through Changes I agree it is the BEST title for the book cuz that’s what it’s all about.

Thanks for the “pictures of Mouse” as it were Jim! and I know you’ve said you can’t write better but um I work on DNA. Maybe we could see about cloning you….two of you should give us twice as many books right? LOL Seriously keep up the great writing! Even when it pisses me off with the things you do to some of my faves (the Thomas thing from the last book has friend ready to kill you but lucky for you she lives in Alaska LOL) I wouldn’t get so upset if you didn’t make me love the characters so much!

I noticed the ILY sign too, and laughed.
I am in the worlds only half deaf and hearing fraternity and reading that and sign stories using “classifiers” made me think.

Could Harry use hand shapes just as well as words to “insulate” his brain from the magical fry?
That is how you described his using words of power in other books, as only a protective measure not needed but very convenient.

Hi Jim! Thank you for answering all these questions and thank you especially for the awesome world of Harry Dresden. I’m in the middle of Changes right now, and I’m loving it.

I’m curious if you had a preview of The Dresden Files RPG that is going to be released at Origins (game fair) this year and what you think of it. My husband and I are excited about it. You’ve created a wonderfully rich world to house a good RPG.

“The character of The Lady reminded me a great deal of Mab. Did you draw any inspiration for Mab from her? Or am I reading too much in?”

You’re reading too much in.

/Lara Raith/ is the one the Lady heavily influenced. Especially the later versions of the Lady, who didn’t have all the incredible magic power, but whose brain was still full of spiders and whose will and intelligence made her every bit as deadly an opponent.

Mab was probably most inspired, for me, by the White Witch and by Disney’s version of Maleficent.

We’ve met and spent time with 5 out of the 6 fairy queens. Is there a specific reason that you’ve kept Harry from a face to face with Titania? Other than of course the obvious reason that she wants him dead.

Jim thanks for all the Dresden books. I’m buying them in hardcover on day of publication now. Great stuff really am enjoying them. The end of Changes was just mean, Nuff Said. Give The Sword of Love to Thomas then he could be called the Raith of God. Thanks again, Jim.

I, too, came to the Dresden Files through the TV show (though a friend swears he tried to recommend the series prior to that). I have to say that I really liked Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, and Terrence Mann as their respective characters, even though Valerie and Murphy aren’t a match. I also really liked the hockey stick and drum stick for his staff and blasting rod. I just thought it fit with his personality — kinda like Harry wearing a bathrobe to the Council meeting.

As much as I liked the show, I do recognize that it could have had better writing. Even before reading the books, there were some scenes that made me cringe. I’m glad it brought Jim more of an audience; it’s just too bad it wasn’t done a little better so it could have lasted longer!

the mwuah-ha-ha-haahhhh comment made me remember something while reading changes.

When you had Harry say “Laboratory” did you know your fans were going to insert their own eLOL (evil laugh out loud) because I did than I turned the page and saw it.
It seems like you did that on purpose….

Thank you for the answer I think those of us who are tremendous fans of your pop culture references look for them everywhere as well. Or for your ubiquitous extremely well-researched pagan, magic, ancient cultural and/or Wiccan references

Now, to hand “Changes” to my husband and watch him laugh and curse and cry! (Doesn’t help that we have a precious little girl over whose bed he might spend a few hours because of your book!)

Thank you for your work, and I hope our consumption of your books gives you the equivalent of Holiday Pay for that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year you lost!

When reading the “Choosing up the Fellowship roles” scene, I had a strange thought. ‘Sam’s not bad Harry, they could have made you Bill the Pony…’ then I vaguely remembered: Isn’t that what Michael’s daughter Hope calls Harry all the time?

Is that just a happy coincidence or am I way past the grassy knoll now?

Yes. Basically, the entire time up until I got published. During that time I was writing novels, a full-time student with a need to keep a 3.5 gpa to keep my scholarship, a part-time word-processor for hire, and a part time salesman/yogurt store clerk/campus tech support/local ISP tech support, moving from one job to the next over the course of my studies.

When I got dropped from the grad program, I started working full-time as an internet support tech. Still writing.

“If so, how did you make the time to do everything? And do you have any advice for someone trying to become a writer?”

I skipped an hour or two of sleep several nights a week, and worked clandestinely on my computer when I was doing tech support.

Check out jimbutcher.livejournal.com. It’s full of articles meant for aspiring writers. My really good advice is all over there.

Hey Jim, big fan. Now for my question.
In White Night we see a member of the white court who was possessed by an outsider slinging around magic like crazy. Would it be possible for an outsider to something like that /without/ possessing someone?
I mean, we really only get a vauge idea of their powers outside of the fact that they can shrug off most magics like nothing and are nearest to immortal that we’ve really ever heard of. I mean, the godlings and such we hear about are from the Nevernever, but outsiders have their own realm beyond even that! or so it seems.

Jim, DUDE you so did not say that about Thomas and his sword. LOL too funny.

Congrats on the NYT and USA Today!

Changes rocked. I had to sit on my hands for a month not to tell anybody anything after reading the review copy. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to be with us. Everybody at Bitten by Books is honored.

Hey I was just checking out your writing tips at http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/
I was just wondering, after you’ve completed the Series will those CHARECTER PROFILES be available to read? Because I’d love to see them, if only to get a better picture of the Charecter.

“Woot! CHANGES just hit #3 on the USA Today best-seller list, and #1 on the NYT list! ”

It’s worthy. Priscellie mentioned on the forum the other day that the listings should be out this week, and judging by the traffic there and here at BBB today, there are a LOT of folks reading it closely.
Thanks for answering some of the things I’ve had questions on, and I’ve enjoyed reading the responses to some of the questions you haven’t answered. I think you like playing with your readers like Mister likes playing with a catnip mouse, and we send you money on a regular basis for the privilege, and like it.

Thanks Jim for your wonderful story about Harry can’t get enough of the guy
Haven’t started Changes but looking forward to it
Will he ever recover full use of his hand? (hope so)
Will Michael ever completely recover to come back and fight next to HArry and his daughter Molly?
Thanks

Guys, thank you very much for your questions! I think this is gonna be all the time I have today–but please feel free to drop by the forums at jim-butcher.com or to give longshotauthor a shout on Twitter.

1) While reading through the Dresden Files RPG book I noticed that the emotions each White Court house feeds upon and their defences line up pretty well with the Swords of the Cross. (Lust = Love = Amoracchius. Fear = Hope = Esperacchius. Despair = Courage/Faith = Fidelacchius). Is this intentional or am I just making connections out of nothing?

***MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT***

2) In Changes during the fight scene in Chitzen Itza another person in the crowd yells out “Fuego!” and Harry notices. I was just wondering if this was just a Spanish mercenary shouting out orders or whether it could possibly hint that Harry has a second part to play in that battle at a (relatively) later date through the medium of time travel?

Congrats on becoming #1 and #3!!! both Dresden Files and Codex Alera Rock! I cant get enough. I am so glad to hear there are plenty of more books to come. I am also very curious as to what else you might come up with. Your world building skills demonstrated in Codex Alera are amazing.

I was wondering about the TV: Series. The Harry Dresden there really doesn’t really live up to the books, but it is good all the same. I was wondering if it was going to be continued. I noticed some one already asked this, but I’ve read all you answers (i think) and didn’t see a response, so I thought I would second the question.

Congrats on your placement. I just got back from checking out your books on your website. My TBR list just got expanded. You mentioned that your short stories would all appear in one anthology in late 2010. Is that the aforementioned Side Jobs?

I have a couple questions, 1) I just read an answer to one of these questions, and now my gears are turning… does Titania have anything to do with McCoy? or maybe Harry’s mother? and 2) Isn’t Maggie actually Ramirez, not Dresden? Susan and Harry were never married…

Thank you for another fantastic book, Jim. Cannot wait until #13, that’s a very special number in the Dresden universe!

My question — does the “Ghost Story” title refer in any way to Bob? You mentioned in one of your answers that Bob’s origins were going to be explored in later books, so I was wondering if the newest book title might’ve referred to that. We know that Bob’s not a ghost, but ghost stories tend to be told to be scary, and since Bob’s what he is, I got curious.

(Please, if you ever have a character with the surname “Bury”, please let them be awesome, and dear God, let them LIVE.)

hi jim, i am a huge fan….most of the things im going to ask about you probably cant answer because im guessing if you do it will be major spoilers for the rest of the series so if you wont answer on here can you just kind of hint at an answer or be vague or something, and they are kind of more conspiracy theories than actual questions…..is harry’s death at the end of changes somehow going to enable him (if he comes back from the dead) to be able to shake mabs claims of him off…around how many more books are you looking at for the rest of the series, and how long should we be prepared to wait until the next one?….is there any possibility that justin dumorne is somehow going to come into play because if elaine survived the fire then i think it would be reasonable for an ex warden of the white council to be able to escape….and if you dont want to post answers to these questions on this website because they would be major spoilers or for some other reasons, but would still be willing to answer them you could message me at hackysacker1@ymail.com if that would be preferable.

WOW!!!!
Hi Jim
You may have already answered my question but I am going too ask
How many years left on the Dreden Files before it can be picked up again?
IF I had the money I would produce it for you. Love to see it back on the air
Thanks
for dropping by. Now off to read all the questions and answer’s
Have a great evening!!

I think that one of the hardest things for fans to grasp is the difference between creating & consuming. We just want more! Realizing the effort that goes into making these adventures for us and not being nitpickingly ungrateful is hard for the non-creator. I truly enjoy the books, have already finished Changes, sadly I can gobble a book in a day of reading, and also love to listen to the stories I’ve already read on audio while doing housework etc. Thanks, Susan

I love Harry and the main cast of characters. Do you see yourself branching off and doing a series about Thomas (absolutely love him!!) and any of the other main characters like Murphy? AND, will Thomas and Harry get back to their old relationship sometime soon?

Thanks so much doing this. It’s always interesting to hear the author’s perspective on his works.
I know you’ve said that you have planned the Dresden series out well in advance. When you finish it (hopefully many years in the future), do you think you’ll pick up another character in Harry’s world to write about or do you think you’ll be so finished with that ‘world’ that you’ll write about something very different?

Thanks for your novels – they helped me retain some sanity during some hard times (loss of father and 16yr old daughter to cancer).

Harry is like a dog with an old bone when it comes to family. He fought to keep Thomas (and still fights), so how long will Harry be able to ignore the presence of his child, hidden away from him?

Also, Molly got her magic from her mother, but with all of the children Michael has shouldn’t another child be coming into his/her magical self. The odds are against just Molly having the magical juice (lol).

Well I know from earlier comment he thought 10 books would be sufficient he has now altered it to 22 to 24 books to complete what he has planned for Harry, One book gets published a year so that would mean Harry will be around for another 12 to 14 years. Yay.

It will seem to be a long time till Ghost Story comes out. As I commented earlier just mean. Hey Jim was what the fae saw in the raindrops and puddles? a Sex and the Sidhe Movie? Also in keeping Murphy and Harry apart are you doing the Moonlighting/X-files thing just to annoy us or is it at advancing the plot in some way? Thanks “please I want some more”.

Jim,
I loved “Changes” (just finished it last night) but I’m curious about Thomas. Next to Harry and Mouse he’s my favorite character. What has happened to his salon/coffee shop if he has gone back to being a regular White Court vampire and not just a “nibbler”? Will we ever find out?

Jim, I would love to read Changes. Given the current Publisher “pricing wars” is there any chance you will consider not signing away your electronic rights on future books and electronic publishing them yourself? Those of us using the Kindle would love to not have to become a “pirate” in order to read your books at a reasonable price.

I love that James Marsters does the reading for the audio books. It was what got me hooked on this series. I know publishers take up to 18 months to get a novel published. How long does it take you to write each one? Given the number left in the series, if you were ePublishing them yourself (to end the publisher’s price gouging) would it be possible we could get one every 6 months? (i.e. it could be uploaded for sale shortly after your editing peers had vetted it).

Hi Jim, I enjoyed the Dresden Files on tv (significantly better than most of the movies on that channel, so it doesn’t make sense that it isn’t there anymore. *sigh* But I started on the books because James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) was reading them as audiobooks, which I love, even if they are hard to find except at Powerstar Collectibles (Buffystore) and Amazon. I listened to the first one and like the story best because he’s reading it. Your world is different and interesting, and Harry is a nice complex kind of guy.

1. I joined the newsletter a while back

2. How did James Marsters get chosen to do the audiobook readings, and are there more than the first 4 books on audio? (I look for them on Amazon, but I can’t seem to find later ones)

I’m a huge fan of the Dresden Files, and I hope you made a shite-load of cash on the few episodes they released on Sci-Fi. I’m no screenwriter, but with your humorous and witty dialogue (okay, mostly Harry’s monologue)it should have been a no-brainer for the production company. Oh well, enough of the brown nosing.
Question: You have a bit of experience with Chinese Kung Fu. Okay, that’s not a question. Do you have any experience with Choi Lai Fut Kung Fu, and what is the most effective/enjoyable/enriching martial art you’ve tried?

This isn’t really a question, but I just wanted to say that I was really happy when it said Murphy practiced Aikido. ( Even though that was like a gazillion books ago ) It made total sense seeing as how she is…uh…not tall. When I read that it made me want to go to my town’s local dojo and take a few classes.

Oh! Oh! I just remembered my question. Denarians are probably going to be in future books, yes? So, is Lasciel going to play any part in the future? At least in a minor way?

Considering the fact that a) you admit to refusing to buy the books (therefore not contributing to Jim’s paycheck) due to your issues with the publishers, and b) actually appear to be pirating copies (ie, stealing), it takes some brass balls to accuse the author of extortion. Perhaps you don’t really get the fact that authors do, in fact, want readers to buy the next book in the series? I’ve read all the books, and so far, this is the only one that has a cliff-hanger ending. Before making rude accusations, why don’t you use your mind to think it through?

I think it’s pretty safe to say that Harry is — although appearing to be dead — going to be the POV character of the next twelve + books, and he’s not out of the game. The story was about change. Everything changed. While I do imagine that Jim has, in fact, had a mad cackling session or two as a result of his evil genius blossoming in CHANGES, I sincerely doubt it was because he is imagining all the dollar signs that will come with the publication of GHOST STORY.

Also consider the story itself. Where, exactly, would the final scene fit? At the beginning of the next book? Due to the flow of the story, I doubt it. The plot of CHANGES reminded me very much of a train speeding along past the “end of the rail” warnings, and finally taking a swan dive off a 1000 foot cliff. I mean that in the best possible way, of course, but if Jim Butcher had instead decided not to show us the fiery explosion, it would’ve been a far cheaper shot.

Maybe you didn’t intend it, but most of your questions were pretty rude.

1.heidijohnjeff@verizon.net is already subscribed to the mailing list of Bitten by Books – The Paranormal Fiction Review Site With Bite!
this is a copy of the page that came up when i enter for your newsletter. I receive it already. I think for the last yr now. I love getting my emails from BBB, they keep me coming back….or I would forget..

2.
Hi Jim,
After seeing all these comments, I’m not sure i could come up with a question that someone else hasn’t already asked you. Oh well…. I just wanted to say thanks for your books.. I love Harry and all his adventures. I just gave my father -in-law your first 2 books and he just asked me for the rest. He loved them also. He told me its the best series he’s read in a long time. Now thats saying something considering he’s been reading for many yrs now. He use to read cowboy books but I turned him to the dark side in february. I gave him your books and a few other vampire series and werewolves, now he can’t get enough of them. Is there any books you would recommend for him to read? What kind of books do you read? ( besides your own) Do you have any favorite authors? Hopefully you may get a chance to answer these but if not it was just great to be able to write to you and read your books..
So again Thank you so much for writing such great interesting stories that I hope will continue for a long time.

3. I already have all your books for now…. maybe I should buy another one anyway…

Thanks for coming here today Jim. I’m still reading through all the comments and navigating spoilers. I have read all the books except Changes. I think my favorite thing about your books is Harry’s snark(of course:) ) and how he always trys to do the right thing despite all the obstacles in his way. I’m excited to read what’s in store for Harry and the rest of the gang.

Hi Jim!! Looking forward to reading the book! Sorry I’m late! I didn’t get a chance to post til now.:( I’m still reading comments also — I don’t want to see the spoilers so I’m quickly scrolling. After I finish it the book, I’d love to come back and reread this!

I’m curious about the differences between the show and your books – but that has already been asked and I’m trying to think of something witty to ask.

All I can come up with at the moment is — If you could have a dinner party of 5 authors (deceased or alive – anyone!) Who would it be?

If you could write the screenplay for ANY book aside from one of your own — would you do it and which book would it be?

I’ve rambled enough for now! There are a lot more profound questions..

I RSVP’d
already receive the newsletter
RSVP’d for Carolyn’s event
joined daily book chat
voted in the poll

I love this series. The characters have a depth and feel to them that makes you feel attached whether by love or hate it’s always a pleasure to see the cast expand or have old favorites come back. My question is simple now that the Red Court is dead will you branch out into different creatures and bring them in as main allies or enemies for Harry, who I pray to GOD you did not kill off, if so I can’t wait. In particular I am curios what spin you put on dragons. Ferrovax villanous as he was. Well was downright awsome and as other commenters have asked will the Jade Court fill the void left by the Red Court?

Hey Jim- Just wanted to say thank you for creating in The Dresden Files a great series of books with characters that feel like people you could meet on the street.

Not sure if this has been asked before but I was just curious if there are any future plans to adapt The Dresden Files into movies or another TV series? The books seem like they’d be perfect for at least a couple of movies and the Sci-Fi series was pretty good and hooked me onto the books.

Hi Jim- Love the series, it is an impressive world you have created. My question is this, in Blood Rites Ebenezar discusses the difference between Drakul and Dracula, Vlad Tepesh being Drakul’s son. Could you elaborate on that? As much as you can tell me would be appreciated. Thank you for a hell of a read. You have made a truly addictive series of literature.

Your books are amazing and I’m gonna cheat and ask a couple things here. First, what was your inspiration for/how did you conceive of Harry Dresden? Second, any chance of the Dresden Files making a comeback? The show was awesome. Finally, and this isn’t a question, please take your time finishing the Dresden series off! It has to be the one series for which I most look forward to each new addition!

Since Lash died by directing the brain damage in Harry’s brain to the parts where she was contained, is it possibly that she could eventually return one day because of Harry’s Magical Wizard Healing?

Also, since it seems that all of the Denarians seem to be able to assume alternate demonic forms, what form would a Human + Lasciel assume? Is it specific to the Denarian, or the human host/symbiote? Since Lasciel was known as the Webweaver, some sort of spider form, perhaps?

Of course, if these answers are going to be in upcoming books, I’m more than happy to wait till then.

is there a chance that changes can be made into a movie??
i would love to see the fight scene on the big screen… murphy using fidelacchius…awesome… sanya esperacchius
it would be great!!!!
when will the next book be release???
can’t wait …. what will happen to harry? maggie?? murphy?

I have not read your books, but after reading some about you, I think it’s time to pick them up. I see you all over the place in stores. I’m trying to write a book myself. How did you start out? I keep a notebook that I put ideas in that I might be able to use later. I know how to keep my work safe from copyright infringement. I don’t have a lot of spending cash so can you give me a good direction to start in to keep me moving as an author? Thank you

As a rough number how many ideas for fleshing out the Dresdenverse have been created by or expanded on by the conversations by your fans. Are we in any way part of the creative process like a good gaming group and the GM?

So I haven’t read any Jim Butcher books yet but hopefully that will change soon. I have been hearing a lot about them, especially lately. I just read a Sherrilyn Kenyon book in which some of the characters were fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. I thought that was pretty cool.

Changes was a great book. That was the best/worst ending ever and I love/hate you. (My wife feels the same way). All the questions I can think of involve spoilers and I just can’t ruin the sheer awesomeness of this book for others. Please finish the next book ASAP.

I love your books and I loved the show. My question is will they be making anymore series or a full length movie about Harry? I have voted in the poll, am a member of the newsletter, and RSVPed. Thankyou very much, Lisa D.

You need to chill a little lady. (a) Jim ain’t his publishers and I imagine he has little say with their internal workings. Same goes for (b). Send them an email, see if they care.
As for (c), to take a quote and change it for this context, Jim Butcher ain’t your bitch. Just because you buy his book don’t mean you can dictate a thing about the way he writes, and you’ll find that this kind of ending is actually more common in the literary world than a nice, happy ending that leaves all questions answered.

Point being, you’re either so offended now that you’ll never buy another of his books in your life or your interest is piqued for the next book which, if you’re like me, you were gonna buy anyway. Your mind is made up, nothing we can say will change that, so where do you get off talking to and about Jim like he’s some scumbag who owes you a refund? Check your words and your attitude, there are ways of expressing your opinion without being offensive. It’s called being tactful.

Jim, you devil, I had to re-read the last few pages of Changes a bunch of times before I could believe it. I was half laughing, half cursing your eyes for the rest of the day. Aftermath can’t come soon enough!

Never said Jim was anything but “a gifted writer.” I disagree that I was speaking to him like he is “a scumbag.” I stated my blunt honest opinion that I do not like books that do not tell a complete story.

I know very well that an author does have the ability to negotiate every clause in their contract before they sign away their rights.

And YES I am very offended by some of Jim’s “fans” who act like he is an idol on a throne and can do no wrong and if anyone speaks of something they think he did wrong these “fans” attack. Jim is human I’m sure he can take a little blunt criticism and in the end he benefits by knowing how some of his fans really feel and what they will or not will not pay for in the future.

Jim DID finish the storyline he started out to write. He simply teased us with a hint at the next book. I’m guessing you don’t usually read books in a series ’cause most of the time, this happens. Heck, the Harry Potter books were ALL ABOUT cliffhangers! Yes, the general story was completed at the end of each book but you had to read all 7 to get the entire story.

The teaser is his usual sick and twisted way (Since I’m a sick and twisted individual with similar t-shirt interests, I say this with love Jim). If you had been to any of the book signings you would have known that he does that stuff because, “God that’s like Heroin for author’s” (Yes those are Jim’s words). Jim ALWAYS gives a hint at the next book, and usually the first line or two. At the “Small Favor” signing he told us about Morgan knocking on the door and saying, “The warden’s are after me”. And at the “Turn Coat” signing he told us the first line from changes, “Harry, they’ve taken our daughter”. He get’s off on it, and I appreciate that. But honestly, he finished the story in that book and decided to go with the mass teaser for all instead of those of us who are lucky enough to go to his signings. Considering the continuing addiction factor of his books…I’m guessing he must feeding off the stuff like a White Court Vampire. Instead of a demon though, Jim is feeding his muse I mean he REALLY get’s off on the stuff. This last signing in SD, I managed to get in the last question of whether or not he would give us the first line of the next book and got, “I’m not telling you” in a nah nah kind of voice. He did say that Murphy will have a Novella about the event’s after he gets shot though, but that’s all the he would say :/

Anyways, you’ll have to be patient and live with the shakes for the next fix…I mean book…really….

I looked over some readers’ reviews early last week before ordering the hardcover, and several reviews mentioned the horrible “cliffhanger” ending that “you’re going to hate”. I can see how some people might feel that way, but as I read the book and arrived at the end…it didn’t feel that way to me. I was of course shocked at how the battle ended, and my mind wandered a bit as I kept reading–so that I was forced to stop, focus, and reread a few paragraphs before continuing. After THAT shock, however, the conclusion seemed like a mild, fitting end. I went to bed thinking “…Wow…that’s brutal…”, but I had a good night’s sleep after another excellent Harry Dresden story.

Of course, I was hooked early in the storyline (he set the hook around book 4, for me) and realized I’d be (im)patiently awaiting “the next book” for years to come. So, I’m just going with the flow for now, and I’m trusting that Jim Butcher will continue the epic story with another wonderful self-contained adventure next year (uh…unless his ‘formula’ has changed too).

Again, I can understand how people might see it as a “cliffhanger” and hate it, but this is just my counter-opinion. I’ve dropped more than one book series in the past when the authors got messy with their stories, but this one still feels strong to me.

first came across your books in my high school library. The librarian wanted me to read the first 4 to see if they were appropriate to be put on the shelves… of course i said yes and on the shelves they went, and i have loved them ever since, and recruit everyone i know to the series!

Changes was drastic in a fantastic way. Every second i was literally either smiling like a Cheshire cat, or muttering “what the shit?!”.

It seemed to tie up a lot of loose ends while creating a whole new series of loose ends to deal with. Changes indeed.

Ok so my questions… i feel so empowered, but not nearly as empowered as you should be lol. I would never dream of criticizing an author on his own works. I enjoy the universe that you have created, and you may do with it as you please. You’ve done well enough to hook me for 12 books and a few short stories, you will have me to the end.

1) At the end i don’t recall a death curse at the end of changes… i know that he kinda got shot and then fell into the water but i would think that would be something his subconscious would have been keenly focused on given the events of the past couple of weeks. What would it have been? It kinda has my brain tingling in anticipation to find out what a great wizard of his time would have unleashed…

2) I read about a battle of the ages between the heroes of a bunch of different novels. Rand Al’ Thor from The Wheel of Time was put up against Harry Dresden from… well you know. Did you hear about this? Do you know about the books im talking about? Do you agree with the results?

3) Ever think about increasing molly presence in a novel? Maybe a short story?

First, I love your books. I have devoured Codex Alera and all that has been published of the Dresden files so far. The next book can’t come fast enough.

Questions:

1. What exactly are the “Outer Realms” that the Outsiders come from and how much does the White Council know about them? And does the council ban opening gates to it because the creatures are very resistant to magic(ie, they are afraid of them) or would doing it be a real soul-staining, black magic type of act like killing someone?

2. The Gatekeeper(one of my favorite characters) plays an important role in the books, but what exactly is the gate he is supposed to be keeping?

3. I noticed that are very few inconsistencies across the twelve books released so far. How do you keep track of events in the series and rules of the world that you lay down to avoid inconsistencies?

Thanks for writing these books. They always bring me up when I’m feeling stressed out.

Jim, I just wanted to thank you for these books. They literally changed my life. My personality is much like that of Harry’s, and reading your books for the past 5 years gave me an outlet.

It’s really helped shape who I’ve become, and I’m a dedicated fan. If you talk to Chris McGrath, I told him a few months back about my soon to be mark of devotion; A tattoo of Harry. He’s become an integral part of who I am, and I thank you for it.

No matter how bad you beat him up, I’ll never quit rooting for the underdog with a fancy for donuts.

Hi Jim,
I can’t tell you how it touched me that you dedicated the last book of the Codex Alera series to the military.
I am leaving in a few weeks for a year-long mobilization for the Navy, and it really means so much to me that my favorite author supports and (more importantly) UNDERSTANDS what the US Military is all about… I believe that we all have a responsibility to protect our country and family, and I demonstrate that with my service.

Again, I am so very grateful that you choose that dedication. You cannot know how much.

I went out and bought an ereader so I can buy e-versions of all my Dresdon and Alera books to take with me! I don’t want to be without them for a whole year!!